Astrology in September 2008 - As Mercury Goes Retrograde, Make Hay While The Sun Shines on an Earth Trine

by Robert Wilkinson

September is almost here, and it's time to put things into place that will stabilize and solidify whatever security we need. We are assisted in this by the Sun conjunct Saturn trine Jupiter in early September, harmonizing any sectors and planets we have in Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces, so get a plan and get ready to do forms of self transcendence showing how you've become more responsible, mature, or organized since February.

The big new of course is Jupiter going stationary direct exactly trine Saturn. The Sun conjuncts Saturn just before it trines Jupiter during the first 5 days of September indicating a very good time for planning and/or resuming activity on hold since May. The Jupiter trine Saturn is exact on September 8, the same day Pluto goes stationary direct at 29 Sag.

With both Jupiter AND Pluto going direct within days of each other, it would seem that evolution is again on the march for the entire world! A LOT of change is coming like an express train!! This is what we've all been waiting for since Spring, so take stock of lessons, rewards, how you've gotten fit to do something, and get ready to practice the self-transcendence that Jupiter challenges us to become.

Besides the very powerful Earth Trine involving Virgo and Capricorn, we also have Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Libra, each quintile then sextile Pluto. Even Mercury, which goes retrograde at 23 Libra 00:17 am PDT September 24, is still favorable to Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto, promising another fairly good Mercury retrograde period. I'll write more about the coming Mercury Retrograde period in a short time.

Of note is that the trine between Jupiter and Saturn will last quite a while, so keep pushing forward in practical ways that help to stabilize the Earth and Water areas and planets in your chart. This will be given boosts each time the Moon makes a conjunction, sextile, trine, or opposition to Jupiter or Saturn, giving us quite a few days to cultivate understanding, productivity, harmony, and momentum in our Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces sectors.

The Earth Trine is especially strong September 18-19, October 16, and November11-12 (Full Moon!) when the Moon is in Taurus creating a Grand Earth Trine. Even when the Moon makes oppositions from Cancer or Pisces, it will create strong configurations that will help us turn opposing forces to our advantage, and we should be able to preserve momentum despite conditions.

The transits through Libra will release the Jupiter energies in balanced or refined ways that will help new projects as well as assisting our clarity about needs and what we care about. The multiple Libra conjunctions square Jupiter all occur in the first 10 days of the month, indicating a very dynamic period. Since Venus is in her home sign and is the final dispositor of all the other planets, pay particular attention to its transit through your chart. A new sense of perspective, proportion, or justice is going to show itself in your life wherever it transits, and to a lesser degree, in all areas (since it rules, directly or indirectly, all the other planets.)

The multiple quincunxes to Uranus from Libra show adjustments and sacrifices, but these will help us simplify and stabilize, as well as strengthen and get centered in our heart's intention and truth. That the Libra planets also trine Neptune at the same time is very good for seeing a bigger view, a larger ideal, and more beautiful relationships. All in all, this should be a very productive month of good interactions that help us know we are moving toward a better life than we knew before the liberations in play since May.

I'll be composing more about the Spiritual factors at play in September and October in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Copyright © 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Jilly]

Excellent news! :D

[Valerie]

Looks very promising. Now, I wonder what effect this has on the election? Who do you predict to win? (I'm betting on Obama, pretty much because of Saturn on the rise in his Northern Hemisphere.)

[WINDSOR]

This SU/SA trine JU is happening on my Virgo MO (H2) ... I'll try and offer a snapshot when the apex is over, but for the moment I can report that I'm getting cozy with self-containment and good boundary setting for the first time in my life and it feels super fabulous. I suspect there will be some interesting constraints and adjustments required of me, maybe even some painful transitioning, but I feel strangely capable to deal. "When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron strikes me as a good companion volume.

[Damien]

I've been waiting for Jupiter and the Transpersonals to go direct for so long...so so long. I feel like my life, an ever-parallaxical spiral of increasing novelty, has become an intermission in the past few months. Necessary as i've used this period for stationary relaxation, nutritionalizing, and healing...i'm wondering Robert with my Sun at 17 Capricorn and my Jupiter at 7 Scorpio what is in store next, i've moved back home since may to recoup from the over-frying of my existence in Colorado and i'm feeling antsy for the next phase to get a going...i've premonitioned that as planet's go direct so will I.

Many thanks.

[Robert]

Hi Jilly - Sure. The trine should be good for many in diverse ways. Speak with you soon.

Hi Valerie - Well, in an honest election Obama would win in a landslide, but there are still widespread vote machine "malfunctions" that have not been corrected even though the Repub companies that own them have been given as much as 6 years to fix them. In 2004-06 I blogged extensively on the multiple ways they can be hacked. Still, hope springs eternal that somehow we'll get some semblance of an honest election.

Hi Windsor - Saturn on the Moon is very good for understanding healthy boundaries and deepening the emotional nature. Jupiter should certainly be showing you how to reorganize your life and habits to make them more stable, responsible, and able to provide a practical container for renewed work effectiveness. You've already done the radical work when Uranus opposed your Moon. Now you get a new structure of your own choice with which to take care of yourself and others from a much saner perspective.

Hi Damien - Well, really, it hasn't been THAT long since they were direct, and the RX period has been good for different perspectives on how to handle the on-going practical revolution. And no doubt your adventure in self-transcendence has already shown you signals with Mars, Venus, and Mercury all trining Jupiter in recent weeks. I would think that mid-October will be a turning point, with Jupiter on your Sun and Mars on your Jupiter. Enjoy the new world opening before your eyes. Be diligent, TCB, and open to what would seem to be some fairly radical opportunities. Even small beginnings can turn your life toward major positive developments.

[Wild Horse Running]

Mi amigo...

wow....a recent expierence brings to mind a reply you sent to me...ref my Pisces on my 6th house. After my Mother passed away in 97..(she a western healing modality/Nurse/Gemini)..my interest in Body-Mind-Intuitive's(Carolyn Myss-Louise Hay-John E. Sarno "The Divided Mind") became very strong. Recently I have been observing many changes within my persona...ability to control/discipline old repetitive patterns. Also recently, I had a physical "symptom", which brought my attention to another issue. First went through the regular "channels" of health care...and received medicine, which made me almost sick...(I have been to massage therapy school...and am a certified herbalist)...so discarded the medicine...in favor of alternative therapies. And then "decided" that maybe the issue was my body trying to speak to me...and as I searched for answers as to what this issue was about...(and certain people in my environment were mirroring it back to me) I realized that I needed to change my attitude/and behavior
ref this. The physical symptom has gone, once I made that decision, and have been acting on it. The issue-symptom was a 3rd house...communication/ability to speak issue.. assertion vs aggression...and I have been "handicapped in that area"..(3rd house saturn)and I think I have been "asleep" most of my life.
I believe the alarm clock is starting to ring, or has been ringing for a while...it is now getting louder and I am unable to ignore it.

Blessings....:-)

[Damien]

It HAS FELT long.

[larissa]

Hi Robert - really motivating article. Nice. So we should pay attention as to what we really want and it will be time to act since Pluto slowly but surely will take us there, and Jupiter - strong influence! I am all excited here. Not afraid of changes, since if they are to come, they will. I love discipline of September. I don't know what it is in my chart, but having a plan is good. 1, 2 and 3. No plan - I really don't want to wake up in the morning. Motivation, plan and action is good. Puts a smile on your face. Change is good. Challenge is awesome! Great article, THANK YOU!

[Mari]

I am looking forward to September, not only for the reasons you pointed out, but also Saturn will conjunct my Pluto for two weeks - once in 30 years' occasion/opportunity! and I just landed in a new country that I adore! While staying on my path, I feel I very much need a new, out of the box thinking, acting, believing, and trusting. Hope Saturn + Pluto help me find the way in.

[Damien]

Clarifying my comment above, its just felt like life has definitely been heading in a backward direction. Thanks for your response!!! :)

[Robert]

Hi WHR - It's a true breakthrough when a person can observe the fluxes of this world as though happening to a different being than the observer. This is the beginning of mastering dispassion, which as you know is the antidote to the mental affliction of aversion, the source of much suffering. Also good that you're observing how the body's shifts can lead to other integral awarenesses.

I also cannot trust allopathic medicine and its "cures," since they've almost killed me several times in the past (literaly!) I used to be an herbalist some decades ago, and am definitely in favor of "alternative" approaches to restoring homeostasis. Often changing one's point of view will result in physical changes, though I'm somewhat alarmed by the prevailing notion that simply affirming something means it MUST happen, a la "the secret," aka the power of affirmations and thought-form building. If we affirm something that isn't true within our Dharma or hologram, it won't manifest. But in yhour case, it sounds like a natural focus of Self realization, thus results come quickly.

As one who has often been suspected of being "too aggressive," remember that the difference between assertion and aggression is often in the eye of the beholder, and Venus is prone to mistake Martian energies as being too whatever. I also have Saturn on the border of the 2nd and 3rd, so also know of that need for control of the mind and speech, and the need to learn discipline and patience regarding 3rd house matters. We have many mansions in our personality, and while we are occupied in some of the rooms, we also sleep in some rooms until we awaken to the need to open the windows and blinds and let some sunlight in.

Hi Damien - Einstein once explained how we feel time relatively this way. "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours. That's what is meant by relativity." That's why we feel time differently based in where our heads and hearts are at. As we learn to master this, we can move through time without getting hung up on faster or slower anything and enjoy the ride watching the weird scenes inside the gold mine.

Hi Larissa - This is a time when having prepared, we can now move forward with practical confidence. A really grounded time!

Hi Mari - Well, Saturn has actually been influencing your Pluto for the past year, and will continue to for at least another year plus. The point of focus for you is September, but truly your Pluto has been restructuring for quite a while and you'll get to practice the form for some time to come. "Out of the box" thinking is required by the larger tides of irrational change. Glad you're enthusiastic about your new home, since that is always beneficial to enjoying the journey. Perhaps Saturn has shown you the transformation, and you're in the heart of it right now. In other words, Saturn's influence has been, IS, and will continue to help you through your own willingness and discipline to become the authority of your mature experience, and you're now freed from old chains. Welcome to a new life!

[Annette]

This is all fascinating. Is there a difference when the aspect says Pluto retrograde is conjunct another planet in declination? What is the difference between an aspect with or without declination? And what is the correct preposition to use?

[Robert]

Hi Annette - Declination has to do with whether a planet is parallel or contraparallel another. They both intensify, and the former acts like a conjunction (both planets north or south parallel) while the latter acts like an opposition (one is north declination while the other is south declination.) I hope this helps clarify, since the study of declinations is very important in understanding overlooked but important transit patterns. They are far stronger than most suspect.

[wild horse running]

tks for the insight...the symptom has "shifted"...not sure what the outcome will be...but the realization of weaknesses that need to be strengthend....passive-aggressive springs to mind...I am awakening to how/when/why I speak...and if it is an unconcious repeated comfortability that I have become "stuck" at. It has been "easier" for me to avoid/ignore/hold in...true feelings..in preference to pleasing others...than the pressure cooker effect kicks in...and the aggressive/rude lower manifistation of mars shows up. I am attempting to find the balance between the two. Somthing has happened in the last 2 years...that when somthing about someone irritates me..and I figure out why, I am able to admit that I may have that quality "hidden within me"...I am still working very hard on letting that part of me go...I had a dream where I was told, I needed to let go of "Being right-having the last word-telling others what to do"....and needed to learn to LISTEN....and that "You must let go of one thing, to attain another".......the people in my environment are holding up a big mirror, and the pressure is escalating alot this week.....Dreams 4 years ago, showed me the possibilities/results...I just didn,t get that I would have to expierence.... "chaos-harmony through conflict" ....soul ray of 4....to get to that place....and patience (another non-strength) would be part of the lesson also.

:-)

[Annette]

Robert,

Thank you -- when aspects have either north or south declination effects with each other, do they effect everyone? Are there declination aspects happening now?

I assume that if one's chart has other relationships with the declinated (declined?) aspect, it's like a double- or triple-word score in scrabble. It must be stronger, yes?

Annette

[AA]

Dear Robert, a good friend has put me onto your site which is a sheer delight after investigating many other sites, including from reputable astrologers. I would love to have a personal interview, however I am in the Uk. I have noticed that you have kindly commented on other peoples dilemmas, so if it's not too much to ask to take a peep at my chart, I would realy appreciate it, as this was possibly the worst year for me, ( and I've had a few of those) My details are 31.7.54 budapest circa 2am. I feel the worst is over, but not really out of the woods yet. Many thanks either way.

[larissa]

Hi Robert - good. Time for new things, so tired of old. Suffocating. Personal and professional changes would be just great. So tired of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. I am ready. I know any change is a challenge, getting used to new is not easy, not for me anyway, but I love it, otherwise my brain is going to fall asleep. Thank you.

[larissa]

Hi Robert - Is September 12 (or 3 days around it) carry some sort of revelation of a secret the universe wanted Aries to know? What will be that time? Thank you.

[Robert]

Hi WHR - Awareness of our speech helps us give voice to our hearts rather than live on autopilot. If all of us said only what was true, good, and/or beautiful, the world would change in a heartbeat. Even if it were harsh, unvarnished, and pointed, as long as it was true or useful in some way we would still be better off than mouthing the tapes that no longer work or cannot bring us our heart's desire. Sometimes "rude" is actually the truth coming out in an indelicate way. I've certainly been known for being blunt, but at least people know they can expect me to tell the truth as I see it the best I'm able. One can be both rude and diplomatic at the same time if you know how to hold that paradox. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes comes to mind as an example. While it's true that often we're annoyed by qualities within us we behold in another, it is equally true that some things are not tolerable AND we do not have them within us. Child abuse springs to mind along with a thousand other odious traits. As for letting go, yes, we cannot be given jewels if we are holding on to pennies. And harmony through friction is the keynote to the 4th Ray, the bridge uniting the Higher Self and the lower self where we balance the pairs of opposites. Glad you're where you're at. The threshold of Eternity beckons.

Hi Annette - Yes. Parallels and Contraparallels can be noted by referring to an ephemeris. They occur transit to transit, transit to natal, transit to progressed. They do tend to intensify whatever else is going on.

Hi AA - I hope the changes were satisfactory. Wouldn't want anyone to feel overexposed here. Thanks for your praise of the site. Personal sessions are easy via phone, tape/digital recordings, and paypal. Life is very much easier in the 21st century. The recent Solar eclipse should be very fortunate for you these next couple of years and let you know you've made it through the night. You began a long cycle in 2005-2006, and since then have been redefining yourself on your own terms. Saturn on your Venus just shows you're learning what you can get along without, so you can be blessed with things more appropriate to your likes and dislikes at this time in your life. Go deeper, let go of old vanities and people no longer a reflection of who you have become, and since Pluto is almost off your Mars, consider yourself purified. Uranus in your chart has been put under pressure by the Grand Irrationality, so please read articles connected to that phenomenon. This past year has been the end of whatever you began back in 2003. You're still learning if it works it's true, and if it no longer works it's not true for you, regardless of all other factors. Go inward, go deeper, seek a broader understanding and compassion, and you'll have a whole new way of flowering solidified by next year.

Hi Larissa - We all stand on the edge of change. As for September, it's not exclusive to Aries. It's a major point of shift for all signs. Everyone gets to share in this blessing.

[adrienne]

Hi robert,
I have been visiting this site for a number of years and have taken much knowledge away with me each time.
but this is my first comment.
in the past 3 weeks i have had a car accident, turned 40 the day after, then lost my job the day after that
12-13-14 th August.
i am also about to "go through" saturn conjunct pluto.
My son also had a serious bowel opperation in late may and i lost a job becouse of that then too.
i was born as a love child (vietnam R&R baby), 13 th August 1968 at 10.30am North Sydney Australia.
i feel lost.
i've read as much as i can on it including astrodienst(Robert Hand)
I just really am feeling dodgy, unmotivated and ;lost
I am Truly blessed to have my son healthy now and not to be hurt in the car crash but is this how it's going to keep going...sorry for the long post but i'm in the poo as they say.
Cheers A

[moon2lightshadow]

Sounds good this earth perspective (i have an earth pyramid in my natal chart moon-mercury-uranus/pluto). I am curious how the transiting planets will activate natal planets.
Great and very accurate article even for beginners in astrology. Thank you, Robert!
moon2lightshadow

[Sue Moon]

This article is just so uplifting to me, thanks. Sometimes the wisdom in your explanations takes all the fear out of change. I have Neptune 11 Libra in the 8th and Sun 24 Libra in the 9th. And the Mercury RX at 23 Libra feels rewarding to me. Your article confirms the feelings I've been having about greater success in my field of energy medicine.
Any observations by you are greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much Robert, I hope you feel the love that flows from everyone's post, I certainly do.

[wild horse running]

me again...somthing broke through yesterday...Mercury square pluto? I have been an escape artist...neptune in the 1st? Oppossing Sun/Moon...5 planets fixed...or all of it... I am seeing or maybe feeling for the first time the results of my "perfecting" escape ...the chasing after desires..with a totally blind eye to the road I was running down. "This part of me" has been in control all of my life...I picked up an astrology book on Uranus opossition Chiron recently...and found that many with this aspect...have difficulty being grounded...I at least got an "A" in that class... I have chased after every pretty red balloon...and it has led me to a dead end. I have put myself in a situation, where I can,t run anymore, and am very restricted...(hopefully for the reason of finally seeing what I have been doing)....and that maybe this last 2 years was the necessary requirement (how hard-headed can I be!!!!!)for me to "surrender-sacrifice" my desires. I feel like I have been stumbling around in the dark for all my life...and someone just turned the lights on, and I am in a prison cell.

Woody Allens new movie...Vicky-Christina-Barcelona....spoke to me...about the things we do to please others/or because we are not strong enough to please/take care of ourselves...even when our inner voice is screaming at us....

Thanks for your ear...:-)

[AA]

Thank you Robert for your prompt and helpful answer as well as your practical help. You must be working in your sleep to keep up with the demands of replies and posting new articles. Bless you for all your contributions.

[wild horse running]

Robert..Thank you for your last response, Im also noticing that Im starting to Listen, as I see from your response that I was not clear in my communications ref...things that irritate me, and me having that quality "hidden within". I was speaking in ref to communication presentations. I have become very aware recently of how "people present themselves, communicate and how it makes me feel". Example...aggressive speech, name calling, bullying, attacking, sarcasam, tone of voice, intimidation tactics. That is the background I came from...however somthing is shifting within, and I cannot tolerate it, feel that there is no need for it....and realize (in my opinion) that it speaks to me of emotional immaturity. I have been "blunt-rude" but if I look at it closely, I was taught to value power, in dominating others.
I have had much 'teaching" recently on dealing with rude/irritated/demanding/angry people...in the beginning, I returned the same 'attitude-energy", only to find that I was being controlled by others, and was not choosing how I would conduct myself, allowing them to pull me into conflict, then taking that energy out on someone else. Recently Im finding the ability to stay detached/calm and control of my emotions/responses...and then I notice that their response sometimes softens..."There is strength in Softness"..Do not mistake kindness, for weakness"...It is much easier to "hear another" dependent upon the delivery...

It seems that "feeling" is opening in my life...or I have switched to that form of processing information...and as I feel how someone treats me, it makes me very aware of how I am speaking to/treating others.

This also helps me to understand about "listening to others"...and to be Clear about what/how I say things and how it might be percieved...because if I want people to hear me, I need to be able to communicate in a way, that causes the least resistance.

grasias amigo..:-)